Kentucky Association for Economic Development honors Chris Girdler for leading an innovative and successful approach
Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority (SPEDA) President and CEO Chris Girdler has been named the Kentucky Association for Economic Development (KAED) Community Professional of the Year.
Announced today during KAED’s 2024 Economic Forum and Annual Meeting luncheon in Louisville, the award honors excellence, acknowledges outstanding achievement and recognizes exceptional contributions by a local community economic development professional.
Girdler is SPEDA’s founding president and CEO, selected for the position when the city-county partnership was formed in 2019. The organization was created with a unique approach to economic development in mind — SPEDA’s founders wanted to see beyond smoke stacks and spec buildings and build a community where people want to live. Businesses don’t choose to locate in a place; people do — and reimagining economic development through the lens of quality of life and place, SPEDA’s founders believed they could build a strong local economy.
Their approach has been successful. After being selected to run the organization, Girdler soon went to work creating and supporting initiatives that would improve quality of life in Somerset-Pulaski County. SPEDA is known for its investments and programming in education, arts and entertainment, tourism and workforce development and is now considered a statewide leader in these efforts. As a result, Somerset-Pulaski County has experienced an economic resurgence, seeing more than $500 million in new business investment and back-to-back years of record tourism spending, which reached an all-time high of $150.9 million in 2023.
KAED’s Community Professional of the Year award celebrates local leaders who demonstrate exceptional dedication to their communities. Girdler’s work exemplifies this standard of excellence, said KAED President and CEO Terri Bradshaw.
“As Somerset and Pulaski County continue to thrive, Chris’s leadership and commitment to progress remain at the forefront of the region’s growth and success,” Bradshaw said.
Girdler, a seventh-generation Pulaski Countian, has extensive experience in the public and private sectors. He has served as vice president and president/CEO of two houseboat manufacturing companies, district chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers (KY-5th District), and was elected to one term as state senator of Kentucky’s 15th District. He is now dedicated to ensuring his hometown remains a vital and growing hub in southern Kentucky through his leadership at SPEDA. Girdler is an avid outdoorsman and family man. He and his wife, Courtney, reside in Somerset with their two daughters, Charleston and Channing.
SPEDA Board Chair Seth Atwell congratulated Girdler on behalf of the board’s nine members for the recognition.
“The SPEDA Board of Directors congratulates Chris on being selected as KAED’s Community Professional of the Year,” Atwell said. “Chris is very deserving of this award; he has done a tremendous job leading SPEDA and our community in economic development. His vision and passion for economic development are unmatched.”
